We women jump at any chance to laugh, gossip, or vent with friends. Maybe that's why your standing appointment with the girls is one "have-to" you look forward to.

No one understands better than your girlfriend why a day that started with a coffee-stained blouse could only get worse from there. Or how your son's poopy on the potty put a smile on your face that lasted all weekend. Friends get us — they bring us back to our center and remind us of who we were before our lives got so centered on everyone but ourselves. "Women are such a source of strength to each other," says Susan Murphy, Ph.D., coauthor of In the Company of Women. "Women nurture one another. We need that unpressured space that lets us talk in a way that we can only with other women." There are simply some sides of us that can only be experienced away from our husbands, kids, and colleagues — emotions that we show only to our friends.

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We know this intrinsically. And yet girlfriend time just doesn't always make it onto our very full to-do lists. "The easiest way to prioritize spending time with your friends is to form a group with a purpose — such as a book club or a wine-tasting circle — that will give you license to have a good time together on a regular basis," says Jennifer Worick, author of Girl Group Confidential: The Ultimate Guide to Starting, Running, and Enjoying Your Own Women's Group. Whether we meet to play, laugh, or cry together, spending time with the girls provides some of the best and most memorable moments in our lives. The women on these pages celebrate the connections that sustain them. Here, they explain just how much brighter their lives are simply because they are shared with close friends.

Every year on the first Thursday after Labor Day, six friends fly to Myrtle Beach, SC, for four days of blissful relaxation. The women, who range in age from 34 to 40, lie on the beach all day, close the local bars at night, and talk into the early hours on their condo balcony. They've been doing this for a decade, ever since four of them met in a newcomers group in Indianapolis. And because the friends now live scattered across the country, their annual pilgrimage to party is a priority for all of them.

"It's just like being in college again," says Patty Eckman, 40, a stay-at-home mom from Cincinnati, who's been with the vacation group since it began in 1997. "Getting ready to go out at night takes three hours, since we're all trying on each other's clothes and jewelry. And we don't sleep a wink. By the time we get home, we all have laryngitis because we've talked and laughed the whole time." Lisa Alexander, 36, a nursing student from Greenwood, IN, once brought earplugs in order to sleep through the all-night chatter. "But I didn't bother using them — I was too afraid I'd miss something while I was sleeping!" she says.

Going away as a group gives these women back their sense of individual identity. "You get so used to being Mom and Wife that after a while you're thinking, What's my name? While we're all together, I'm Patty again," says Patty. Kim Winston, 36, a Realtor from Johnson City, TN, relishes forgetting all her responsibilities.

"This is the one time of year I get to be completely selfish and not have to worry about anyone else. If I want to eat cookies for breakfast, I can — and I do."

The group would love to extend their four-day trip, if only they could talk their husbands into it. But then again, they admit, the getaway could never really be long enough. "We're really tight — we're closer than family," says Patty.

As a stay-at-home mom, Summer Peters, 30, often gets so wrapped up in kid-talk that she feels desperate to find her grown-up self again. So once a month, she meets 11 friends for a crazy night of playing bunco. "I need this night out — my sanity depends upon it!" says Summer. Fellow player and pal Kristi Thompson, 30, also a stay-at-home mom, says that the group's bunco night is the highlight of her social life. "This is the one night a month I get to take off my 'mommy hat' and relax," Kristi says. "It's all about me and my friends having fun."

The monthly game got started 10 years ago when a friend of Summer's invited her and few of the friend's coworkers and other moms over for a night of letting loose. The hostess introduced everyone to bunco, a 12-person dice game where the winner takes the pot — anywhere from $5 to $20 for this group's game. The fast-moving game was a draw for Summer — but so was the camaraderie. "I really don't think that the actual game was the hook for everyone coming," she says. "It's the non-mom time that we enjoy."

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The 12 friends take turns hosting game night; they mix it up and entertain themselves with themes like Cinco de Mayo night and Western night (for which hostess Kim Jensen, 44, actually had a saddle to display in her living room). Kristina Estrada, 34, a school office manager, remembers when Kristi came across tiny dice in a store, and was inspired to host Itty-Bitty Bunco night. "We were scrunched around the table playing with dice you could barely see," says Kristina. "It was hysterical, especially after everyone had a few drinks!"

The Crafty Crew

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Every Wednesday night, five women gather at 31-year-old Heather Cameron's home for a little stitch-and-bitch session. The women sprawl out on her living room floor, drink wine, eat chocolate, and let loose their needles and tongues.

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Heather started the group about a year ago after a car accident left her housebound — the single mom was desperate for a fun activity that didn't involve going out. So she invited her friends over for a regular crafting session. She did have to help her pal Morag Hastings, 29, a home-based Web designer, get started with knitting — but even now that the women are all proficient, they admit that the group isn't really about crafts. "Our sessions are very much like group counseling," says Jessy Wollen, 27, a landscaper. "We vent for three hours about everything from how our husbands aren't helping around the house to how tired we are. We let the emotions come out and then we go home better moms." For her part, Heather loves to complain about the sorry state of the local dating scene. "Everyone else is married so they live vicariously through my experiences — or at least have a good laugh at them," she admits.

Nikki Riedmueller, 33, a community arts worker who's crocheting baby blankets right now, says they all used to e-mail each other to make sure they'd be coming every week. That's no longer necessary — they always show up. "This is where I can be myself again," says Morag. "I know that Daddy's looking after the kids and I don't have to worry about them. I'm getting here earlier every week because I just can't wait for it to start!"

Christina Pritchett, 35, a software sales manager, learned nothing about money growing up — and came out of college with a lot of debt. "I'd read about investment groups, where you can learn more about money as well as pool money to invest it, so I decided to start my own," she says. Christina e-mailed some college pals with her idea; 16 wanted in, and WAMA was formed. Seven years later, the group is eight women strong.

Each three-hour meeting takes place at a local library and starts with a prayer. The money talk often takes a backseat to conversations about the women's kids, their relationships, and news about old college friends. "We're connected on so many levels," says Christina. "We were college roommates, we've vacationed together, and we've watched each other grow up. It's inevitable that when we get together it turns into a love-fest."

Eventually, the friends do come around to discussing the matter at hand: how they can invest their money and make it grow. And they're doing a pretty good job. WAMA competed against 400 other investment clubs in a national contest and came in third place for their portfolio. They've had great returns on their investments, and invest every gain back into their portfolio.

Loretta Tillary, 38, a social services special assistant, joined the group four years ago. "I love the laughs and how wonderful I feel just being around my friends," she says. "The minute I walk through the door to a meeting, I feel whole — and so does my financial future."

Once a month, Danielle Beres, a 35-year-old teacher, meets with 12 friends at one of their homes to observe Rosh Chodesh, the Hebrew term for the beginning of each month, with their own modern take on a traditional Jewish custom: The ladies share some casual conversation and then begin their ritual.

Each member lights a candle and introduces herself — even though they've all known each other for years — stating her Hebrew name and lineage. She reports on whether she's met the goal she set for herself last month, which can be anything from keeping her cool with the in-laws to updating her résumé. Afterward, while the candles glow softly on a tray, the women read from the Torah and discuss how their religion applies to daily life. The evening ends with each member stating a new goal, then blowing out her candle.

Stay-at-home mom Mara Langer, 39, cofounded the group with two others nearly four years ago. Her parents hadn't observed their Jewish faith, and she yearned to know more about it. "Once I became a mom, I felt an even deeper desire to explore Judaism," she says. She'd heard about Rosh Chodesh groups and decided to start one in her area. "Our group allows me a thoughtful connection to my Judaism in a safe and like-minded environment," says Mara.

While Jewish learning is the primary focus, the women have gained much from their newfound friendships as well. "What I like about our meetings is that everyone gets a turn to speak and get things off her chest," says Danielle. "I also enjoy seeing how people make their religion relevant in their lives." When her husband's parents died, the group rallied, bringing food to Danielle's home and talking with her husband, even though most of them didn't know him or his parents.

Linda Oberstein, 41, a physician and one of the group's cofounders, says that the monthly ritual connects her to other women as well as to her heritage. "It's really powerful to remember my family as I introduce myself. It makes me think about who I am," she says. The group also pushes her to set goals for herself, even small ones. "I've been saying I'm going to complete my daughter's baby book for years. Now I will, because my friends encourage me."